


Fractures

by Wookiesauntie70



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy, Star Wars- All media types, Star Wars: Bloodline
Genre: Action/Adventure, Betrayal, Canon Typical Violence, F/M, Force Bond, Friendship/loyalty, New Galactic Alliance, Stormtrooper revolt, mutiny/rebellion/revolt/infiltration, ‘Bloodline’ spoilers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-15
Updated: 2019-08-19
Packaged: 2019-10-10 20:03:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 12,793
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17432624
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wookiesauntie70/pseuds/Wookiesauntie70
Summary: The arrival of a controversial figure from Leia’s past fractures the Resistance, with the First Order similarly divided. Emperor Ren faces his mother once more, and Ben Solo is forced to come to terms with his bondmate as he seeks to end the Jedi and the Sith.Set one year after the events of TLJ.





	1. Chapter 1

Marching him around the premises with a sack over his head was supposed to disorient him? These couldn’t be Leia’s people, even if they _were _Resistance sympathizers.__

__The tall, sandy-haired man considered his situation. He was still gagged, though they’d removed the annoyance of the burlap. Cables lashed him to a rickety wooden chair, but he’d already succeeded in loosening one of its legs. His ‘captors’ hadn’t found the needle-like blade he kept in his left boot. At the moment they were huddled in the far corner of the storeroom they’d shoved him into, whispering amongst themselves._ _

____

____

“Tracker,” he offered through his gag. Would they ignore him again?

The thoroughly unpleasant barkeep running the show stalked over and jabbed his truncheon into the prisoner’s gut. The man dressed in the First Order officer’s uniform refrained from rolling his eyes in exasperation, but only just. He couldn’t imagine anyone choosing this particular cantina on account of the proprietor’s temperament.

____

____

“Talkative all of a sudden, are we?” The barkeep ripped the gag from his captive’s mouth, growling a warning for him to keep his voice low or else risk losing teeth. Batuu was rapidly losing its charms—not that it had many to begin with. 

Batuu. That translated as ‘battleground’ in one of the smattering of languages the prisoner had acquired over the years. The skies above this world were about to become just that, so it was critical he reach Leia as soon as possible. Confident of his plan, he’d set his ship down in a clearing at the edge of this seedy little town. 

It must have been something of a shock when he’d walked into the cantina with his hands in the air. He’d assumed this lot would turn anyone wearing a First Order Commander’s uniform over to their allies as quickly as possible. In fact, he’d been counting on it. The TIE Silencer he’d piloted would have been shot down by the Resistance on sight, so approaching them indirectly had seemed the fastest and most logical course of action given the urgency of the situation. Another jab of the truncheon reminded him he may have miscalculated his best strategy for reaching Leia quickly.

“Tracker,” he patiently repeated, now that the gag had been removed. 

“What’s that about a tracker?” The barkeep was demanding an explanation-- not that the man in the chair hadn’t been trying to give him exactly that for the better part of the last two hours.

“First Order officers typically have trackers embedded in their belts. It’s essential to ensure they are removed before such prisoners are relocated to classified locations.” The surly barkeep motioned to his underlings to remove said belt and check it. The prisoner tried not to look exasperated as they gave it a good once-over before finally noticing where a tiny square had been cut into the smooth black leather.

“That where it was?” The taller subordinate asked gruffly, grumbling as his shorter associate pointed to the hole in question. The prisoner nodded, determined to remain civil even though good manners had gotten him exactly nowhere with his present company.

“Why’d ya bother telling us if ya’d already done an’ taken care of it?” The barkeep swaggered toward him again, brandishing his crude weapon with what appeared to be renewed enthusiasm. Lovely. 

“Why indeed.” The prisoner sighed, suspecting his tone revealed his irritation. Couldn’t they get on with this? They had no business keeping a First Order Commander to themselves and ought to have figured that out the moment they’d laid eyes on him. That he’d removed his tracker ought to have made one thing abundantly clear.

 

“Whadd’ve ya got ta say for yerself?” The snarky barkeep growled.

“I thought you’d never ask.” That earned him a cuff across the back of the head. Absurdly enough, it was the first sensible question his captors had posed—his earlier efforts to communicate had been rebuffed, and he couldn’t for the life of him imagine why. Time was running out as surely as the last of his patience.

“Well?” His taller jailer had him by the hair now and that nasty truncheon had found its way into the hollow at the base of his neck. 

“‘Take me to your leader’ is the phrase that comes to mind.” Scarcely the time for sarcasm, but he was in serious danger of losing his temper at this nonsense. Just as the barkeep’s weapon began to exert more pressure on his windpipe, the door swung open and a young woman entered.

She was dark-skinned and strikingly attractive, and the prisoner would have taken more time to appreciate the view if he hadn’t been so focused on his mission. He did note that her ears might have revealed some Twi’lek blood. Whoever she was, the look in her eyes told him she didn’t suffer fools. Excellent. 

“Enough.” At her crisp command, weapon and hands were removed from his person. It came as no surprise when the others stepped back as the young woman approached him and crossed her arms. 

 

“Who are you, and what are your intentions?” Lando Calrissian’s daughter kept her face impassive as she questioned this unexpected prisoner. Whoever this man was, he should never have known of any link between this bar and the Resistance.

 

The prisoner was mildly surprised that none of his captors appeared to have recognized him. Then again, seven years was a very long time. The young woman currently studying him so intently may not have been inclined to pay attention to political scandal at whatever age she’d been back then. As for the barkeep and his underlings—perhaps the uniform threw them. Not to mention the Galactic Senate had become such a joke by then that this lot may have given up following its death throes on the HoloNet. 

“I have several pieces of crucial information for Princess Leia, the most essential being that the First Order is about to launch an offensive targeting the Resistance base located within this sector. The rest I will reveal to your General as soon as we reach her.”

Princess Leia, this man had just called the General—and with the crisp accent of an Inner Rim world. Not even her father referred to Leia Organa as anything other than General any longer. Lando Calrissian's daughter narrowed her eyes. “We’ll see.”

 

 

Leia leaned heavily on her cane as she stared out of the expansive viewport dominating the control room of the Resistance base. Desperation had led them to seek refuge here at the edge of the known galaxy. She sighed deeply. What she’d found herself missing most since Han and Luke had passed was a true confidant, someone to help shoulder the burden she knew very well was hers alone now. That troubled her more than she could admit to anyone. Leia Organa’s resolve hadn’t weakened, but her heartbeat surely had. She feared her time was nearing.

She thought of how often she and Han and Luke had stood together against seemingly insurmountable odds. Chewie, Lando and Nien Nunb remembered those days well enough. All three were true and unfailingly loyal friends. That didn’t change the fact they were essentially Leia’s subordinates and that they looked to her for leadership.

Leia thought of Rey and sighed. Rey had her own path to follow. It was a difficult path, one Leia sincerely wished she were better able to help the girl navigate.

It wasn't as though the Resistance had any shortage of good people; nothing was further from the truth. Poe Dameron had accepted the mantle of responsibility, but at heart Leia knew him to be most at home in a starfighter’s cockpit. The ingenious Temmin Wexley was much the same even though he hid it better. Finn was proving himself a good man and a good leader, and Rose Tico had promise, too. As always, Greer Sonnel and Joph Seastriker were solid as bedrock. Every single one of them was a good leader for the Resistance.

Even so, Leia knew something crucial was missing. What was desperately needed now more than ever was someone who could truly inspire others, someone who could lead much more than the Resistance and help guide an entire burning, fractured galaxy toward unity. 

It always pained her to do it, but she thought again of the one she’d consciously passed that very torch to seven long years ago. Even after he’d been so shrewdly manipulated into betraying her, Leia had sincerely hoped he would someday become that _voice._

__Yes, his hatred of Darth Vader had blinded him long enough for him to destroy her political career. Yes, he’d made a terrible mistake, but she herself was guilty of her own.__

__Vader cast a long shadow._ _

__When she thought of Ransolm now, her only memories were of how resourceful and courageous he’d proven himself. She recalled his keen intelligence and even quicker wit. He'd eventually committed what amounted to total political suicide thanks to that deeply ingrained sense of honour of his. She smiled wryly when she remembered his stubborn streak. They'd certainly had their share of arguments, but together they’d found common ground and an eventual understanding that had given her new hope. He’d burned with an idealism she herself had lost._ _

__Above and beyond all of those qualities, her former political rival had been blessed with the gift of incredible charisma. He’d revealed himself to be an orator capable of lighting a fire under the stagnating Galactic Senate itself. That quality alone marked him as a rarity. Yes, she had truly hoped he’d be the one to carry on._ _

__Then he’d been framed for crimes he hadn’t committed by the architects of the First Order, for she and Ransolm Casterfo had become dangerously close for their liking. The last she’d seen of that promising young man—the same one who’d once betrayed her, although she’d come to understand well enough why he had—he’d been bound for Riosa for trial and probable execution._ _

__She remembered the outrage and helplessness she’d felt when that shuttle had lifted off to deliver Ransolm Casterfo to certain doom. Fury had overwhelmed her as never before, and in that moment she'd found herself realizing that perhaps she finally understood what might have led Anakin Skywalker to turn to darkness. For a brief instant, she'd felt herself capable of terrible, awful things. She remembered holding Ransolm's bound hands just before he'd been hauled away by his guards, forgiving him everything—and then he’d been gone._ _

__

__It had been a time of great turmoil in the New Republic. Terrorism, assassinations—everything had been unravelling, no thanks to what she now knew had been the concerted efforts of those who’d created the First Order. She’d heard whispers that Ransolm Casterfo had never made it to to his homeworld of Riosa at all, even though his shuttle had. She’d always assumed that the First Order had decided to take no chances, and that somehow or other he’d been quietly eliminated._ _

__And so, she had grieved. For a dear friend—but also for the loss of one who could have been that voice for them all. She knew in her heart that Ransolm could have been capable of building the bridges the galaxy needed. He had the strength to finish what she’d started._ _

__

__

__

__“Ma’am, incoming transmission from Captain Calrissian.” Kaydel Connix still gravitated to her old post out of habit, and Leia was reminded of yet another fine asset the Resistance was blessed with. Jannah Calrissian was another.__

 _ _Leia stopped her woolgathering. She wondered what in the worlds would possess a First Order officer to steal Kylo Ren’s starfighter and ditch it on Batuu. When Jannah arrived, this was going to be one interesting interrogation._ _

__

__“Has the prisoner revealed anything more?”__

__“That’s just it, Ma’am. He has. This is very odd—“ Connix furrowed her brow. “General, according to Captain Calrissian’s latest report the prisoner insists we are to prepare for immediate evacuation. He then directed her to a hidden compartment in the heel of his boot. General, it concealed a datachip containing the schematics for secret underground complex belonging to the First Order, one located on the water world of Sibensko.”_ _

__”Sibensko—“ Leia’s thoughts flashed back to her desperate mission there seven long years ago, one she and Ransolm Casterfo had intended to undertake together but that severely altered circumstances had forced her to complete without him.__

 _ _Threepio felt compelled to interject. "Sibensko! A dreadful place! Why General, you barely escaped with your life!" Without Han she never would have._ _

__”Ma’am, his exact words to Captain Calrissian were, ‘Tell Princess Leia I’ll head that mission for her. She always was a bad influence.”_ _

__Leia froze. It felt like time had stopped. She felt herself going hot and then cold with shock. “Did he say anything else, Connix?” She asked slowly, scarcely daring to believe what she’d just heard. She sensed her heart beginning to pound._ _

__“Yes Ma’am. He still won’t reveal his name, but according to Captain Calrissian he is most agreeable. Charming, even.” Which was saying something coming from Lando’s daughter, thought Leia to herself. Connix continued reading the report on the screen. She frowned. “Although if you ask me, he sounds crazy. He claims to have stolen a First Order medical frigate and that he will reveal its location to you and you alone...’that makes me a thief now, too’ is how he put it. He seems to be under the impression you’d find that amusing.”_ _

__Leia's heart flipped over in her chest. “Anything else, Connix?” Leia had moved to Connix’s shoulder in order to read the rest of the transmission log for herself._ _

__“Ma’am, when Captain Calrissian told him who she was he asked her if she ‘played Sabbacc even half as well as you do.” Leia’s heart leaped again. "Ma'am?" Connix was having some difficulty picturing the General ever playing Sabbacc, but Leia was transported back to a night at the casino on Bastatha when she'd given a young Senator Ransolm Casterfo what had amounted to a masterclass in the art of more unorthodox diplomacy. Much to his shock, she'd broken the bank playing Sabbacc—_ _

__"When is he scheduled to arrive?"_ _

__"Momentarily, General. The prisoner will be escorted to the detention bay and questioned further upon your orders."_ _

__"That won't be necessary."_ _

__"Ma'am?"_ _

__"Have Captain Calrissian remain at her ship. Keep the prisoner there." It was a much shorter walk from the control room to where that ship was about to land than it was all the way to the detention bay. Much to Connix's surprise, General Organa was halfway out the door by the time she'd finished issuing that order. Then she stopped for a moment. Leia’s next words stunned Connix. “Keep it quiet. But begin preparations for immediate evacuation.”_ _

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__The prisoner stood stiffly at attention in his crisp First Order uniform. Then he saw her—Leia, still commanding and impossibly elegant, all at the very same time. Older, but every bit as beautiful as he’d pictured her these many long years.__

__He would have preferred to be wearing just about anything else, but could find a certain humour in the situation. His hands were still manacled in front of him and each of his arms was firmly gripped by a guard. That seemed appropriate, too. Guards, handcuffs—only this time, he’d been dragged_ to _Leia instead of away from her._ _

__

__

__Captain Calrissian nodded to Leia as she approached the bottom of the landing ramp, but it was plain to her that General Organa had eyes only for the prisoner. Finally certain she hadn’t misread the situation, Calrissian motioned for the guards to step away from him._ _

Leia couldn’t imagine the odds—for once Threepio elected not to mention them—but standing right in front of her in the bright morning sunlight, in the middle of a landing field on a world at the very edge of the galaxy, was her long-lost colleague and confidant. __

__Part of her expected to fight back tears, but Leia nearly laughed out loud instead. The sight of Ransolm Casterfo trying to keep a straight face only made him look as mischevious as ever. He was no doubt recalling her reaction to his old collection of Imperial artifacts and imagining the comment she’d make at the sight of him dressed in a uniform she despised just as much. Leia could see his eyes practically dancing with amusement. Yes—they’d come a long way since those early days. When Leia came within a step of him she halted.__

__

__

__He spoke first. "I seem to recall you saying you'd once pictured me--"_ _

__"In a uniform an awful lot like that one!" Leia finished, laughing and shaking her head in disbelief as she took his manacled hands in her own. They might as well have been back in that hangar bay on Hosnian Prime—it felt like they’d never been apart.__

__"That would have been before Bastatha,” she smiled._ _

__“When I was bound and determined to rescue a princess who didn’t want rescuing?” Ransolm raised an eyebrow at the memory before grinning back. Though he’d fancied himself quite the hero at the time, all he’d actually managed was to bungle a sting operation Leia had engineered without his knowledge. At that point they’d barely tolerated each other’s existence. Still, without having been forced to work together to escape the whole fiasco, they might never have learned to trust each other._ _

__Ransolm could feel the princess gripping his fingers so hard it actually hurt. He must have done the same to hers as they’d dragged him off. "If you remember the last thing I ever said to you--" Leia began._ _

__

__"I do.” Ransolm finished Leia’s thought as he often had before. “And you were right. I would have been. And now I am.” With them, she’d meant at the time—with the Rebellion, and not with the Empire; except now, it was a new rebellion against a different foe. Their hands remained linked, and both former senators ignored the startled expressions of those witnessing their exchange. Ransolm’s voice cracked with uncharacteristic emotion. “I needed to hear that. I had no faith left in my own judgment.”__

 _ _At those words Leia reached up to cup his face in her hands. Seven long years had been kind to that face, she decided. She wasn't sure she could say the same of her own. She pulled Ransolm nearer so that she could rest her forehead against his. Leia Organa silently thanked the Force for having spared this man._ _

__

__Someone had the presence of mind to undo Casterfo’s binders, and the moment his arms were free Leia's onetime enemy swept her into a tight embrace. She hugged him back every bit as fiercely. Ransolm felt Leia stifling a sob and thought he understood; learning he was alive had to come as an enormous shock. He suffered one of his own in that moment, for even through her heavy robes he could feel how frail Leia had become._ _

__

__Casterfo became mindful of their audience. Fortunately, Captain Calrissian had already seen fit to dismiss most of it.__

__“Leave us." Leia wouldn’t wish to reveal vulnerability to anyone if she could avoid it. Those still standing by recognized the quiet authority in Ransolm’s voice as well as their General's obvious trust in him. Captain Calrissian and Threepio were the last to depart, leaving the two former colleagues alone beside the ship that had just delivered Ransolm Casterfo back to Leia Organa’s side._ _

__

__Once she'd regained her composure, Leia realized she had no idea where she'd abandoned her cane. Not that it mattered._ _

Now she had something infinitely more solid to lean on. 

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__+_ _


	2. History

+

"With all due respect, General, that man is a _traitor! _" Poe Dameron hissed, shocked at Ransolm Casterfo's appearance on the _Holdo's _bridge. The last of the transports had just been evacuated from the surface of the planet, a world Vice-Admiral Dameron wasn't convinced they should have left in the first place.____

____Leia pursed her lips in disapproval but Dameron persisted: "Permission to speak freely?"_ _ _ _

____"You know perfectly well you don't need to ask for it." Casterfo was deep in conversation with Wexley and Seastriker. Leia was glad he was out of earshot._ _ _ _

____"I don't trust him!"_ _ _ _

____"You don't need to," Leia snapped. "I'll trust him enough for both of us!"_ _ _ _

____ _ _

____Poe Dameron was fit to spit by the time the man in question materialized alongside Leia for the inevitable introduction, one the General made smoothly and without preamble._ _ _ _

____"The pleasure is all mine,” smiled the new arrival. That much was obvious. Casterfo kept his tone light and pleasant, appearing almost amused by Dameron's thundercloud of a facial expression. He then directed his attention to the map Threepio had just pulled up for the benefit of everyone gathering around the large holotable. As the Resistance’s new flagship jumped to lightspeed on its course for the Inner Rim world of Riosa--another decision Dameron disagreed with--Casterfo’s long fingers enlarged different sectors of the map.____

 _ _ _"Here is Ren's fleet--" Casterfo explained, swiping to another section, "and here is Hux's. The schism I refer to occurred seventeen days ago. What we have the benefit of knowing is that Hux's fleet"--here he enlarged a portion of the map to indicate nine capital ships marked on it--“may not be Hux's much longer, for Captain Edrison Peavey is spearheading a mutiny. Hux is a rabid revolutionary. Peavey and his fellow captains cannot tolerate his existence any longer, although it remains to be seen what their plans are should they actually succeed in removing him. All that Ren and Hux presently agree on is the need to eradicate the Rebel fleet, which is the entire premise for their gathering outside the system we've just left. With us gone, they may just decide to blow each other to bits." Casterfo and Leia shared a glance, and Dameron was frustrated at his inability to read their expressions._ _ _

____"So there's a war? Between two factions within the First Order?" A new face had just joined the circle, one Casterfo realized he’d seen before._ _ _ _

____"A pleasure to finally put a name to the face," he assured the affable Captain Finn as Leia again made the necessary introductions._ _ _ _

____"Have we met?" Finn didn’t recall having seen this man before. He himself had come to the Resistance fresh out of a Stormtrooper's uniform, but a Commander? Defect?_ _ _ _

____"Very nearly. To my great regret, you didn't quite reach me during your adventures in Canto Bight. Tell me, is riding a Fathier as glorious as they claim?" Seeing that Finn was perplexed, he elaborated: "I'm the codebreaker you came in search of that night. I noticed you just as the authorities were hauling you off. Unfortunately, DJ got to you before I could.” So he wasn’t a First Order Commander? Then—_ _ _ _

____"You're the Master Codebreaker?" Lieutenant Rose Tico had just joined the group, her astonishment plain._ _ _ _

____"Disguises can be wonderful things,” Casterfo smiled. “Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Ransolm Casterfo. Who might I have the pleasure of addressing?" It looked to Finn as if Rose was blushing when she took Casterfo's hand._ _ _ _

____"I'm Rose, Rose Tico. And the Fathiers? I know it sounds crazy, but I don't think I've ever had so much fun!"_ _ _ _

____"Canto Bight is a hellscape at heart. I'm glad you put a dent in it!" Casterfo grinned at Rose conspiratorially, and her smile matched his own. Finn couldn’t help but notice._ _ _ _

____ _ _

____ _ _

____"I can’t believe this!" Poe sidled up to Finn after the conference around the holotable ended. Rose and Kaydel Connix were chatting amicably with Casterfo, and Leia had just taken the tall man’s arm again. His arm! Since when did the General take anybody's arm? Commander Seastriker seemed at ease with the man in the First Order uniform, but Poe was relieved to see that not many others on the bridge did. What hold did this Casterfo have over Leia?_ _ _ _

____"What do you mean?"_ _ _ _

____"I mean Casterfo. He's a traitor!” Finn’s eyes bugged out as Poe continued his whispered rant. “I can't believe how everyone’s suddenly ignoring that! I don’t mean you, of course...you wouldn't know anything about it, not as a kid in the middle of stormtrooper training._ _ _ _

____Casterfo? He’s the guy who took the princess down, Finn. He ended her political career, ruined her reputation!" Finn couldn't disguise his confusion and was grateful when Poe finished explaining the situation. "Casterfo stood up in the Senate and told everyone she was Darth Vader's daughter! Not only that, he bombed a Senate building and assassinated Senator Tai-Lin Garr! Yet the minute he turns up, she grants him full security clearance and acts on every suggestion he makes!" It was as though Leia hung on his every word._ _ _ _

____Finn shot Poe a warning glance, for the General was headed their way. For once Casterfo was more than two paces from Leia's side and going over some detail or other with Wexley and Seastriker._ _ _ _

____When the General reached the doorway Poe was leaning against, Finn decided it was the perfect time to go and chat with Rose, and Poe took that as an equally perfect opportunity to voice his reservations:_ _ _ _

____"General--we've just evacuated an entire base on that man's word alone, and there's no evidence the First Order fleet was ever intending to enter that sector to begin with! How can you be sure of where his loyalties lie?"_ _ _ _

____Leia fixed him with a steely gaze, one he disregarded: "You said it yourself, Leia. You haven't seen him in seven years! How can you be sure he won't betray the Resistance?"_ _ _ _

____For a moment Poe thought she might actually slap him. Instead, the General kept her voice low and enunciated every single word: "Ransolm Casterfo was framed by the architects of the First Order and falsely charged with crimes he did not commit by a hopelessly inept New Republic government.____

 _ _ _The Resistance was born the day they led him away, and you'd do well to remember it."_ _ _

____ _ _

____ _ _

____+_ _ _ _


	3. A Decision

+

 

"How does it feel, knowing you're a marked man?" Casterfo spoke softly but flung those words as carefully as he might have thrown darts at a target--after the door leading to the corridor hissed shut, that was. He meant to get the measure of the one whose name had once been FN-2187.

"What do you mean?" Casterfo had expected that to come as news to the former Stormtrooper. The young fellow standing awkwardly in the doorway appeared guarded but not alarmed, a far cry from what he'd been that night in Canto Bight. Leia had led him to expect as much. Casterfo motioned for Finn to take a seat in the armchair next to the one he chose for himself.

 

\+ 

Finn was taken aback at having been asked to the General's quarters. He was even more surprised to discover Casterfo waiting for him in Leia's stead.

The man Poe was so wary of looked very much at ease. Finn certainly wasn't. His eyes darted to the closed door separating the modest living area from the rest of the General's cabin. Casterfo obviously noticed.

"General Organa is not here at present. Nor did she wish to ask you what I'm about to." 

Finn's eyes widened. Poe was right about this guy’s influence with the General. Still, when Casterfo again gestured for him to take a seat, Finn did so. What was going on here? He wasn’t kept waiting long.

"I regret to inform you that the First Order has placed a bounty on your head, one lucrative enough to ensure that all of the usual takers will go to great lengths to bring you in--dead or alive, as they say."

Finn didn't care for the sound of that. Not at all.

"Why me?" It made no sense."I was only a Stormtrooper. Not even a very good one." It felt like a good time to examine his boots, but Finn made himself hold his head high and meet Casterfo’s eyes. "I didn't have anything worth fighting for," he finished quietly.

"Yet now, you do!" Casterfo grinned triumphantly as he leaned forward, elbows on his knees. The man had an engaging smile. "FN-2187, 'only' a Stormtrooper, is widely known to have had a hand in the destruction of Starkiller _and _to have done away with one Captain Phasma. I take it Phasma was not terribly well-regarded by you, or by many of your fellows?" Casterfo raised an eyebrow.__

__That was a colossal understatement, and Finn wondered where he got his intel. "I can assure you, rumours are flying thick and fast within the ranks. I can't imagine why the First Order would have an axe to grind with FN-2187, can you?" One corner of Casterfo's mouth twitched with amusement. Finn's first instinct was to warm to him, but he reminded himself to be cautious. This man had a strange history._ _

__"You know for a fact they want me dead?"_ _

__"Oh, yes. Quite. They need to make an example of you. You've become far more than a number, you see." Casterfo smiled pleasantly. "Tea?" he offered._ _

__Finn shook his head in the negative. Whatever it was, tea time this wasn't. "Why are you telling me this? What are you even asking me?" That Leia won't, he reminded himself. Casterfo studied him again for what felt like ages, but then got straight to the point:_ _

__"You were taken against your will from a family you've never known, raised to become something you never had the chance to question." Finn thought he saw genuine sympathy in the older man's eyes. "Yet somehow, you found the strength to go your own way when the opportunity presented itself, and to reject what the First Order expected of you. In doing so, you've become an inspiration for each and every disaffected 'Trooper in the First Order's ranks. That makes you dangerous."_ _

__Dangerous? That was probably the last word Finn would have chosen to describe himself. Still, Casterfo had a point about the widespread discontent in the Stormtrooper ranks. Finn hadn't been alone in feeling lost. Again, how had this guy gotten his intel?_ _

__"Do you ever wish you could change things for them, FN-2187?" Hearing himself referred to as a number again, and by someone whose accent might as well have been a First Order officer’s—_ _

__"It's difficult, isn't it? You've chosen the cause you believe in, and you know precisely what that means for those you were raised with. The others, the lost ones, lost to their families and given no choice in any of this."_ _

__Finn felt nauseous. Of course he thought of them— he thought of them every day. The First Order had to be brought down, but nothing would change the fact that he fired on fellow Stormtroopers every time he fired on a First Order vessel. That hellish elevator ride aboard the Supremacy was enough of a reminder. Finn’s emotions must have been plain as day to Casterfo._ _

__"What if you could give them a choice they’ve never considered?" Casterfo might have been shouting for the impact those words had on Finn._ _

__"What do you mean? How is that even possible?"_ _

__"That's what I'd like to speak to you about. It's what Leia didn't want to ask of you. She knows, as I do, that people have a tendency to do just about anything for her the moment she asks!" He smiled fondly, and Finn wondered what she’d ever asked of Casterfo. This guy betrayed the General, he reminded himself. He’d basically ruined her life. Ransolm Casterfo was a former senator--a former _Centrist _senator, Finn reminded himself. That meant he and Leia must have been bitter rivals at one time. How had they ever grown close? That should have been impossible, at least the way Poe had explained it to him.___ _

____Pretty much everybody was speculating about Casterfo. Mess hall conversation currently consisted of very little else, and old Senate footage was suddenly on every other datapad. Casterfo was a traitor, a pariah—yet their General treated him like some sort of hero. Finn had seen the recording of the joint address Casterfo and Organa had once made. Rose was right—the two had appeared very much a team. He'd also seen Casterfo's infamous denunciation of Leia as Vader's secret daughter, the holo everybody’d been viewing over and over again. Yet the General had more than forgiven him. Why? Casterfo's voice interrupted his musings._ _ _ _

____"Your mission, should you choose to undertake it, is one for which you are uniquely suited. The risks involved are enormous, especially in light of the bounty on your head. That is why Leia will not ask it of you. I, however, feel that you should be offered the opportunity to decide as much for yourself. What we are about to discuss is classified. Do you wish for me to continue, or shall we pretend this conversation never took place?"_ _ _ _

____"Go on." Finn didn't hesitate. Casterfo knew he had him._ _ _ _

____"The plan is mine, but I will not accompany you. Instead, you will be working closely with Maz Kanata, whom you've met before--"_ _ _ _

_____Had he ever— ____ _ _ _

______"--and who has agreed to be of assistance. Maz is often willing to help those who show a certain amount of initiative. Lando Calrissian will join you on Takodana--"_ _ _ _ _ _

______"Lando Calrissian? General Lando Calrissian?" That guy was a legend. Finn had learned as much in the mess hall. Who knew where he'd been all this time? Apparently Casterfo, for one.___ _ _ _

________"Should you choose to proceed, you will travel with the princess and I to Takodana shortly after the fleet's arrival in the Riosan system." 'Princess'--that title sounded weird to Finn. Everybody else called her the General. Then again, apparently Casterfo wasn't ‘everybody else’._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Finn was well aware that Poe Dameron didn't trust Ransolm Casterfo—yet General Organa did, and she was their undisputed leader. Had Leia ever led them in the wrong direction? Commander Seastriker’d had a ringside seat to General Organa's betrayal, but Joph and Casterfo constantly had their heads together and appeared to be on very good terms. Seastriker must also know something Poe didn't. Rose had taken to Casterfo. Rose sometimes seemed to know people better than they knew themselves..._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Casterfo was regarded with a lot of suspicion, by a lot of people. He was subjected to more scrutiny about his loyalties than Finn had ever been, and that was saying something._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________The Resistance had given Finn a chance. Didn't Casterfo deserve the same? After all, Leia trusted him enough to let him hold this meeting in her own quarters._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Finn thought of his former comrades. They deserved a chance, too—more than what the First Order offered them._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"So, what's the plan?"_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________ _ _ _ _ _ _

________ _ _ _ _ _ _

________ _ _ _ _ _ _

________+_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it's been a while. Thanks for reading along!


	4. Promises

+

 

"There you are, as promised!" Casterfo glanced over at Leia, who stood next to him on the Holdo's bridge. The First Order medical frigate he'd hacked into and 'liberated' came into view as it lazily orbited his homeworld of Riosa. Arms crossed as she contemplated the scene, Leia made no secret of her admiration for him and grinned right back at Casterfo.

The man looked far too pleased with himself. Smartly dressed after a brief rendezvous with a pirate vessel, he reminded Poe of some sort of overgrown bird in unnecessarily bright plumage, strutting around the bridge and preening under the attention directed his way. The princess’ former senate rival had Leia charmed and laughing with some tale of how he and a handful of pirates—presumably the same ones who’d met them—had made off with that frigate.

Poe wondered if someone had made off with his General's good sense, because Leia’s normally excellent judgment had taken a holiday. Casterfo wasn't terribly good looking, at least, not in Poe's opinion, and the General hadn’t had her head turned by that kind of attraction before. Still, there had to be some reason she was so taken in by the guy in the fancy clothing.

Casterfo'd ditched his plain grey flight suit as quickly as he'd ditched that oh-so-perfect First Order uniform he'd turned up in. Now here they were, smack dab in the middle of Centrist space and very much at the traitor’s mercy. To say that Poe didn't care for the situation was an understatement.

 

 

+

 

 

The hoversled wove through the sprawling wreckage of the massive industrial complex. Long abandoned, this labour camp and others like it had once built components for the Death Stars. Millions upon millions of Riosans had suffered at the hands of Palpatine's Empire, with Darth Vader having brutally ensured the fulfillment of utterly unrealistic production quotas. The camps had been avoided for decades by native Riosans after everything of value had been stripped from them. Collective memory rendered them too painful to be faced.

Ransolm Casterfo cautiously piloted the sled between heaps of useless components and crumbling permacrete, pained by the contrast between this journey and a similar one he and the princess had made together years ago. How could an insanely dangerous, high-speed escape seem infinitely preferable to this trip, one presenting no real danger? He knew it was because his passenger barely had the strength to hold onto him, let alone grab the blaster from his belt and dispatch their pursuers as she had years ago. Radiation poisoning had taken its toll on the princess’ body. Ransolm still had trouble believing what he'd heard of Leia's survival.

He brought the sled to a halt as smoothly as he could once they'd reached a certain cleared area, one with weeds as tall as small children poking their heads up between piles of rusted scrap. He hopped off immediately, which was just as well, since he had to catch the princess when she stumbled trying to do the same. 

"Not nearly as exhilarating as when somebody's firing at us, is it?" Ransolm joked, attempting to deflect from the awkwardness Leia’s uncharacteristic near-fall brought with it.

She played along with him, of course."You're right about that! And this," Leia added, gesturing approvingly at their surroundings. They were at the very heart of the massive complex. Vast in scale, many buildings were intact, and best of all, the locals avoided it like the plague. Riosa was known to be poor enough that no one else was likely to be attracted to the location. Unlike many Inner Rim worlds, this one allowed easy access to multiple hyperspace corridors, an advantage the Imperials had once exploited--along with the rest of the planet. That would allow what little there was of the Resistance fleet to move easily. The former labour camp's perimeter was already secure thanks to the efforts of Ransolm's people. He had quite a following, it seemed--not bad for a man who'd so recently been an outcast. Enough space junk orbited Riosa to hide a whole lot more than a medical frigate. In short, it was an ideal place to go to ground.

"Hiding in plain sight is as good a strategy as any," Leia added. Casterfo nodded his agreement. 

"It's not as though we have many options."

That brought a wry smile to Leia's face. "True enough. 'We', you say." The princess slowly shook her head at that. "We haven't seen each other in years, yet somehow it's still 'we'."

"I should have come to you long ago. It was wrong of me not to."

"Better late than never. Besides, it’s not as though we haven’t had the same goal all these years. Maybe we’re like a pair of eyes--they never see each other at all, but they manage to work together just the same." 

That won her a chuckle. "You never cease to amaze me!"

"Careful, Casterfo. Your compliments might start going to my head."

It was an old joke between them but had him smiling all the same. "I very much doubt it."

 

 

Leia saw his eyes move to an area in the shadows where a rusted sheet of corrugated metal lay on the ground. No one had bothered to scavenge it. She saw that he'd grown tense, so she rested one hand gently on his arm, understanding at once. "That's where it was, then?"

He nodded, still staring at what had once been a crude lean-to, the refuge of the starving orphan he'd once been. He took a deep breath before looking away again. He hadn't come here in years--not here. 

"I swore I'd kill another Vader, Leia. You know that." The princess nodded, studying his features carefully. He suddenly seemed much older than his years. "I don't know what Ren is, Leia. I don't know what to make of your son."

"You're not the only one," she said grimly. They stood together in silence for a time, both of them with eyes fixed on the stars above instead of on Riosa’s wreckage and ruin. "I'm dying, Ransolm," Leia finally blurted. Time for plain speaking, not that either of them had ever had trouble with that. "This can't die along with me." She meant the Resistance.

There was no point in trying to hide how much her admission upset him. "You have a plan." He knew that look in her eyes.

"I do. And you're not going to like it."

 

 

 

+

 

 

 

"Don't look so distressed, Casterfo. I'm well aware of your personal feelings for Leia Organa. Your actions have spared her; rest assured that she will not share the fate of the traitors she leads."

"Thank you, Lord Ren." Ransolm Casterfo bowed his head in the direction of his Emperor's holo. He was very much alone in his office--his new Senate office. Ren had appointed him senator of Riosa less than a standard month earlier after discovering his true identity. To Casterfo's profound shock, Ren had nothing but respect for him--all because he'd been principled enough to reveal the truth of Leia Organa's parentage before the entire Galactic Senate seven long years ago.

In Ren's eyes that was admirable. It still made Casterfo want to throw up. What he was about to do felt even worse.

"You've demonstrated commendable loyalty and initiative, Casterfo, both of which should be rewarded."

"I'm not worthy of the honour, my Lord." He meant every word.

"I have my reasons for wishing to make my approval public," Ren insisted.

Casterfo recognized his opportunity. "Very well, although I ask nothing for myself. Hux may retaliate, given the role I played in uncovering his duplicity. Should he target Riosa, the planetary defenses are nearly non-existent, though manpower we have in abundance."

"Are you asking for artillery then? Ships? Munitions?"

"We would put them to good use.

_We. ___

____

____

"You shall have them. Riosa will be the first system to publicly declare its allegiance--to the new Allegiant Empire. The Senate will reconvene, as planned.

Casterfo bowed once more. "As you wish. Shall I make preparations for your arrival on Riosa, or is it your preference that the prisoner be brought to you?"

"Bring her to me. I expect you to escort her personally. It wouldn't do to leave her safety to others."

"Agreed," he answered softly. Casterfo bowed low as the transmission cut out.

+

Ren watched in silence as the doors to the turbolift hissed open and two figures appeared, silhouetted for a moment against the light within it. Together they made their way toward him, neither speaking. The tension between the two was palpable. That was hardly surprising, given the circumstances.

As they drew nearer, Ren saw that his mother's hands were free—she wore no binders. No surprise there, either; Casterfo was a master of Hosnian martial arts. His mother would never have stood the slightest chance of escaping--especially since Casterfo went without a blaster. She wouldn't have had a weapon to grab, and she'd never mastered the Force as he himself had. Foolish woman.

The pair halted at the foot of the dais. His mother slowly drew back the hood that had concealed her from everyone else aboard the Finalizer. She was far enough away that she missed Ren’s sharp intake of breath upon seeing how haggard her features had become. Her hair was as intricately braided as ever, so some things hadn’t changed.

She ignored him in favour of facing Casterfo instead. The man had forgotten to bow to Ren at all, so intent was he on the petite figure at his side. 

Neither spoke. Ren drank in the sight of his mother's face, so different, so _old _\--but she still hadn’t spared him a glance. Instead, she lifted her chin and stared defiantly at the Senator from Riosa:__

__"Goodbye, Casterfo. May you get everything in life that you deserve." She sounded bitter. She'd screamed the same words at him years ago._ _

__Casterfo's eyes went to Ren and back to the princess before he finally responded. "Believe me, I already have." His next words were soft and meant for Leia alone. "Force be with you." He gave the Princess a deep bow, abruptly turning on his heel and exiting the cavernous throne room._ _

__He'd neglected to acknowledge his Emperor, not that Ren noticed._ _

____

__

__Leia Organa finally turned to face her son. She looked into the dark, beautiful eyes so like her own. The man on the throne was a brooding figure looming over her in the darkness._ _

"Hello, mother."

+


	5. Rift

+

 

Captain Rose Tico's eyes were on Ransolm Casterfo rather than glued to the recording Threepio was playing at his request. As she listened to General Organa's final message to High Command, it was obvious to Rose that Casterfo was a man badly shaken. She wondered if anyone else in the conference room saw the same.

Gone was the dashing figure who might as well have stepped out of a holodrama, the one who'd appeared out of nowhere to give the Resistance a much-needed jolt of optimism. His cleverness, his daring--it was no surprise the General thought the world of him. One quality shone through above all else, though Rose knew not everyone shared her conviction: his loyalty to Leia. 

He appeared to have aged ten years in the span of two days.

 

The recording ended, and Rose took quick stock of what she’d just heard: Leia had persuaded her former senate colleague—who was apparently already in Ren's good graces—to turn her in to the new Emperor. Casterfo would use the goodwill that gained him to ensure the Resistance could remain hidden and untroubled on Riosa, since his loyalty would seem nearly unimpeachable in Ren's eyes thanks to the General's 'capture'. 

Threepio shook his head in very human fashion when his mistress' message concluded, holding one golden hand to where an organic’s heart would have been. That was the moment Rose saw Riosa’s newly minted senator compose his features and take on an expression Leia's face had often worn.

Snap Wexley finally broke the silence of the conference room, one half-full of crates that had yet to be unpacked now that most of the Resistance was planetside and tucked securely into the sprawling industrial complex Leia had personally scouted just a few days earlier.

"Why?" the Commander asked.

Casterfo didn't answer right away. Looking pained, he closed his eyes. "Radiation poisoning was killing her. Can you truly imagine her content to fade away?" The Princess had another reason, a private one. That secret wasn't his to tell.

When he finally looked at anyone again, that person was Greer Sonnel. She shook her head in unspoken agreement with him, knowing the answer to his question better than just about anyone. Rose was reminded that Sonnel had been Leia's chief of staff during the General’s last days as a senator—which probably explained the looks she and Casterfo had been shooting each other all meeting long. Sonnel had left her base of operations on Gatalenta to join them on Riosa, unable to spend much time in space on account of her bloodburn but playing a key role for the Resistance in other ways.

Nien Nunb said nothing at all, which was completely understandable. He'd known Leia Organa for decades. Though a veteran, the normally jovial Sullustan avoided looking at anyone. Joph Seastriker and Kaydel Connix were just as quiet.

"What I meant was, why did she tell you? Only you?" Wexley asked again. Everyone was still processing what they'd just learned. The biggest shock of all might have been that Casterfo's true identity was known to Emperor Ren, and that the man currently sheltering them on Riosa was playing a dangerous double game. That Leia had sacrificed herself for the cause she’d devoted her life to? That part was easier to believe.

"I abided by her wishes—I owed it to her. Besides, this was already an enormous security risk. I should think that much is obvious!" Casterfo replied tersely. He seemed more like a wasp about to sting someone than the calm, collected figure he'd been when the meeting began.

Recalling Casterfo’s temper, Joph Seastriker cautiously ventured a comment of his own. "Still, it's pretty shocking that she left without a word to the rest of us. Is that really like her?" Joph’s blue eyes were filled with tears in the Gatalentan way. 

"Isn't it, though?" came the weary reply, accompanied by a deep sigh. "She expected there'd be--objections, to say the least." Casterfo nodded to indicate the doorway they'd expected Vice-Admiral Dameron to step through-- if he ever intended to join them, that was. He was beyond late. He hadn't even materialized. 

Poe Dameron no longer bothered hiding his contempt for Casterfo. He’d started openly criticizing him the moment he’d headed off to Takodana with the General and Finn. When he’d returned with the startling news that Leia would never return, Poe had refused to acknowledge Casterfo’s existence. Dameron’s absence at the meeting he’d called upon his return was likely due to the fact that Casterfo remained outside the formal chain of command. Until someone forced him to listen to the man, Poe Dameron wouldn't. 

"What's our next move, then?" Calm, capable Kaydel Connix. Casterfo breathed another sigh, this time one of relief-- 

 

Until the door burst open and all hell broke loose. 

"There he is, Chewie! Ask him yourself!" Poe Dameron barged into the room alongside a dangerously angry Wookiee, who wasted no time in hauling a suddenly pale Ransolm Casterfo out of his seat, all the better to toss him against the nearest wall. No sooner had Riosa's senator crumpled to the floor than Chewbacca grabbed him by the neck and glared into the traitor's eyes, growling the promise of swift retribution for his betrayal.

"Tell them, Casterfo!" roared Poe. "Tell them what you've done! With Finn! To Leia! Tell them the truth this time!"

Out of the corner of his eye, Casterfo noticed the two additional figures who'd entered along with Dameron, both of them female. "You have no idea what you're--" he began, but Chewie tightened his grip and choked off the rest of his response. The sandy-haired man’s eyes rolled wildly in his head as the Wookiee increased the pressure on his throat.

Everyone was on their feet, with Chewbacca at the heart of the chaos growling things no one but Threepio could make head or tail of. Leia's protocol droid was waving his arms about in agitation as R2-D2 whistled in alarm, and only Threepio's repeated insistence that Chewbacca let go of his captive prevented Ransolm Casterfo from being strangled on the spot. 

The massive Wookiee tilted his head as he listened to the droid. Chewbacca loosened his grip just enough for Casterfo to catch his breath, although the man's eyes were very nearly bulging out of their sockets and his whole face was flushed. Rose couldn't believe what she was seeing and certainly didn't understand what happened next. Rather than attempting to wriggle out of the Wookiee's grasp, Casterfo tried talking his way out instead: "You know why! You know what she wanted more than anything else! How could I deny her that chance?"

That apparently made an impression on Chewbacca. He promptly released Casterfo, who stood there rubbing his neck while the Wookiee wailed his opinion of the whole situation to the agitated droids—it must have been the droids, because no one else had any idea what Chewie was talking about.

Chewbacca threw his arms up in disgust, leaving the other beings in the room to a power struggle that did not interest him. If justice didn't need to be served, he had better ways to occupy himself. No one knew what to make of his abrupt departure but nobody wasted time thinking about it, either—for out came Dameron’s blaster.

"Where's Finn?" 

"Oh dear! Not this again!" Threepio exclaimed, sincerely hoping the weapon was set to stun as it had been the other occasion Poe Dameron had lost all capacity for reason. Something told him it wasn't.

"I have no idea." Casterfo replied, a hint of disdain in his voice. He'd straightened up to his considerable full height and didn't appear terribly concerned about the blaster pointed directly at his chest. In fact, he took one step closer to Dameron. Sonnel suspected he meant to get it out of Dameron’s hands—she knew him capable of it.

"What do you mean, 'you have no idea'? Because according to my friend here, every bounty hunter in the galaxy already knows _you've _claimed the bounty Ren put on Finn's head!" Poe pointed straight at the statuesque figure in the elongated golden helmet, one of the two beings Casterfo had noticed earlier. She'd just put her hand on her blaster, and so had the blue-haired young human standing by the doorway. This was getting out of hand, and fast.__

____

 

Thanking the Force that no one else made any move for a weapon, Casterfo slowly raised his hands in the air in an apparent appeal for calm, or perhaps surrender.

It was neither. At his signal, armed Riosan security personnel stepped out of what felt like nowhere, completely surrounding Dameron and the rest of his party. They outnumbered the entire High Command at least five to one. 

 

Poe reluctantly dropped his weapon and raised his hands, but that didn't stop his mouth. "They have a right to know, Casterfo!" 

"Why don't you go ahead and enlighten them?" The man had the gall to sound patronizing. Casterfo was insufferable, but it didn't matter how many blasters were trained on him—Poe Dameron was going to say his piece. 

  
  
This had all been a long time coming, thought Rose to herself. Poe had never liked Casterfo, and the feeling appeared mutual. She felt sick to her stomach. She'd instinctively trusted the man. What would become of any of them? And what had he done with Finn?

By now, two Riosan security officers had Dameron's hands secured and Casterfo himself had retrieved the Vice-Admiral's blaster from the floor, which he set on the holotable within easy reach of Seastriker--which was in itself very strange-- 

 

"You're a liar and a traitor!" Dameron shouted. "I can't believe Leia ever trusted you!" He gave Casterfo a defiant look as he hurled that accusation. The taller man said nothing and stood there with his hands folded behind his back and a completely unreadable expression on his face. "You sold Finn out! You never took him or Leia to Takodana, did you? You turned them both over to Ren! You claimed the bounty on Finn yourself!"

Riosan security could barely contain Dameron, so a third guard joined the two already holding him. "Leia thought she was working with you to make a deal, one that would buy the Resistance some time! Did you forget to tell her that you never stole Kylo Ren's ship at all, Casterfo? Does she know he gave it to you? That this was nothing but a setup you engineered for your own personal gain? A trap? Some hero you turned out to be-- you're nothing but a liar!" 

 

 

Casterfo arched a brow, apparently unbothered by Poe’s assessment. "Is it wrong to lie, even when it serves a higher purpose?" Poe wished he could throttle the man, but Casterfo kept on talking: "What did you expect, Dameron? Do you have the slightest idea what it is you're dealing with?" Casterfo waved a hand to indicate that Dameron be removed from his presence. Then he gestured to the bounty hunter and the blue-haired woman near the doorway. It was a minor miracle neither of them had complicated matters any further.

 

 

"Get this...scum... off Riosan soil. This hardly concerns them." Both disappeared out of the doorway with all possible haste, their heavily armed, well-trained escort obviously intent on seeing them to their respective ships. Dameron and the guards accompanying him had yet to make it all the way to the door. "As for you, Dameron--I advise you to take your pathetic fleet--I imagine you have it at the ready?--and get it as far away from this system as possible. I hardly need to remind you that the thousands of your people already within this complex will not be joining you." He shot Dameron a triumphant look.

 

 

Dameron swore.

 

A uniformed staffer—Riosan, again—stepped into the room and addressed Casterfo:"Your Excellency, several Imperial vessels have just entered the system." Casterfo nodded approvingly and Dameron swore again. So did Rose, and she wasn't the only one. Everyone in the room but Casterfo still had at least two blasters pointed at them, so nobody was going anywhere--or so they assumed. 

 

"I suggest you hurry along then, Dameron. May the Force be with you." The last he said almost mockingly. Rose would never have believed Leia’s ‘friend’ so cruel. Wait—he was actually letting Dameron go? To what end? 

"Wexley. Connix." Casterfo waved an elegant hand again to indicate that Vice-Admiral Snap Wexley and Commander Connix should leave along with Dameron. "Off you go. Surely you don't wish to be left behind?" He smirked, and the guards already pointing blasters at their backs followed them to the doorway as ordered. In another moment, all three had been escorted from the control room.

 

 

"But, your Excellency!" Threepio began to interject.

 

"Not now, Threepio," Casterfo's tone brooked no argument and the protocol droid's programming recognized as much.

 

 

 

Rose felt like she could barely breathe and wondered what came next. It astounded her that no shots had been fired. 

In the end, Dameron, Wexley and Connix departed the system aboard the _Holdo _, taking the modest Resistance fleet with them. They were forced to abandon thousands of personnel behind on Riosan soil.__

____

____

Why Casterfo had permitted them to leave at all seemed to defy logic. Perhaps it was because he expected Ren's fleet to do the dirty work for him with regards to the Resistance fleet--at least, that was Zorri Bliss' assumption as she jumped out of the system aboard her own vessel. 

She hadn’t stuck around long enough to find out, and neither had Vi Moradi. Bliss thanked her lucky stars that she was a neutral party. 

+

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading along!


	6. First Bond

+

 

He was beautiful.

Her son was beautiful.

He'd been gorgeous as an infant, chubby-cheeked, with dark curls and even darker eyes. Her angel, she'd thought of him then. 

That angel had grown into a man who'd murdered his father.

Her little angel...that's how he'd always seemed to Leia, a being bright and filled with light, but banded through with an answering darkness. An angel--she'd dreamt the same, years later. Then had come the difficult years, when he'd grown as awkward and ungainly as everything else that had come between them.

Seated on his throne above her, he was an angel to her still, only dark and fallen now--a stranger to his mother. 

She saw that he'd grown into his features as well as his frame. A generous mouth softened the sharp angles of his face, as did the thick mane of wavy hair framing it. She smiled to herself at the sight of that hair--that much, at least, was hers. Those shoulders of his were even broader than Han's, and she guessed he was taller. As for those eyes--those dark, pretty eyes--they were fathomless. Gorgeous. Still ancient, somehow. 

It saddened her to see how pale he'd grown, for it was obvious his skin hadn't been kissed by sun in ages. She hadn't kissed it, either. She hadn't touched him in years. Now, at the very end, she longed to.

 

"Ben." Leia reached for his presence in the Force, something she hadn’t sought in too long. So many mistakes. "I never should have sent you away," she whispered. "That's when I lost you both." She'd said the same to Han on Takodana. Before--

For once, her son's face might have been carved from Jelucani fogstone. Instead of revealing his emotions as readily as she remembered, it was completely immobile. Fogstone--he was equally pale now, as pale and still as the statue of Bail Organa had been, the one dedicated with great pomp and ceremony on Hosnian Prime, just before everything had started falling apart—

'It's far too late for any of that, Mother." His voice was deep, his tone haughty. His walls were impenetrable; she couldn't reach him through the Force. Not as she had when he was young, when she'd been able to calm him with a touch of her mind against his. That had been so beautiful. Those days were long past.

"Oh, Ben." Her eyes were huge in her pale face. "If only you knew. It's far too late for everything."

 

Leia collapsed.

 

 

 

+


	7. Realization

+

 

Raw emotion slammed into Emperor Ren and sent him to his knees. The shock of his mother crumpling to the ground before him removed every barrier he'd erected against Leia Organa.

Ren felt everything--all of it--her anguish, her immense regret, her sorrow.

What he'd sensed during the attack on the _Raddus _had been no fluke, no figment of his imagination—she had feared _for _him then. She still did. She wasn't afraid _of _him at all. Had she ever been? Had he been wrong, all those years ago? What Ren felt most strongly from the one who'd borne him was a staggeringly powerful, unconditional love.______

______It was utterly inconceivable to him._ _ _ _ _ _

______ _ _ _ _

______He'd killed her husband. He'd essentially ended her brother. He'd sworn to destroy everything she stood for.______

 _ _ _Suddenly nauseous, he crawled toward his mother's form where it lay on the gleaming throne room floor. None of this had gone the way he'd expected. He'd pictured all of what he'd wanted to say to her for years. Instead, he could taste the salt of his tears as they streamed down his face, and he fought to keep bile from rising in his throat._ _ _

______He'd meant to write his will across the stars. Now, he wanted only to save his mother._ _ _ _ _ _

______ _ _ _ _

______Ren knelt beside her, reaching for a hand that was far too cold. She still lived; he felt it in the Force. She was strong in the Force—much stronger than he'd ever sensed before. The Skywalker bloodline was his through her, and that same gift had enabled her to survive the deadly vacuum of space. Her determination to live, to lead, had allowed her to draw strength from the tiniest microbes about her and reach the miracle of safety. The rumours had all been true. The scavenger hadn't wanted to answer him when he'd asked as much. Rey hadn't said a word to him since Crait, though her eyes spoke volumes each and every time the Force insisted on connecting them._ _ _ _ _ _

______ _ _ _ _

______He removed the black leather glove from his right hand and reached for his mother's. It was cold to the touch. He pressed her hand against his cheek, still looking for a hopeful sign. Finding none, he placed his left hand on Leia's forehead. He realized his mistake at once, so he peeled his other glove off and tried again. Her skin was the first his own had ever touched. Was his to be the last hers would? She seemed so alarmingly tiny to him, so fragile. The force of his mother’s personality had always made her seem much larger than she actually was._ _ _ _ _ _

______Tentatively, his mind reached out to probe hers, finding no awareness at present. The Force signature he knew so intimately was dim and badly weakened. He had no idea what he was about, but trusted his instincts._ _ _ _ _ _

______None of her organs were damaged. How he knew as much, he could not later say. Ren had little training in the art of healing, but whispers in the Force told him he could infuse her Force presence with the strength of his own. It was instinctive process, almost as though he were imagining a possibility, only to discover that it suddenly existed. He could feel the currents of the power he drew upon swirling warmly, throughout and around both of them. Instead of flickering, his mother's brightness began to stabilize.______

 _ _ _It wouldn't be enough. He needed...more._ _ _

______ _ _ _ _

______He stood._ _ _ _ _ _

________ _ _ _ _

______He lifted his mother gently into his arms as if she weighed nothing at all, careful to ensure that her hood covered her face. Her identity would remain a mystery to everyone who noticed him carrying her cloaked figure to his shuttle. He commed instructions for that particular ship to be readied before striding purposefully from the throne room he'd made his own._ _ _ _ _ _

______General Pryde met him the main hangar, precisely as ordered. Pryde was trustworthy, and more than capable enough to manage the affairs of the new Empire while Ren saw to his own. Ren issued another series of instructions. The General saluted smartly, wise enough to keep his questions to himself. Ren boarded the shuttle alone, save for the same mysterious captive Senator Casterfo had arrived with a short time earlier._ _ _ _ _ _

______ _ _ _ _

______Placing his mother gently in the berth closest to the pilot's seat, Emperor Ren's hands flew over the controls as he readied the ship for takeoff._ _ _ _ _ _

______He meant to save his mother._ _ _ _ _ _

______He required the power of a Force nexus to do it._ _ _ _ _ _

______ _ _ _ _

______That meant Mustafar._ _ _ _ _ _

______ _ _ _ _

______ _ _ _ _

______+_ _ _ _ _ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> +
> 
>    
> I stole part of Ren’s thoughts from the following quote:
> 
> “.....I drew these tides of men into my hands and wrote my will across the sky in stars.”
> 
> ~T.E. Lawrence
> 
> (a.k.a. Lawrence of Arabia)


	8. Half a Calamity?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Still out there? Thanks for sticking around!
> 
> Updates have been few and far between because my kids are young and energetic—and our northern summers are too short to spend indoors. :D

+

 

The control room door hissed shut behind Poe Dameron. Ransolm Casterfo sat back down and pounded a fist on the table, muttering a surprisingly colourful expletive.

For the briefest of moments Commander Joph Seastriker wondered if he was hearing things. He hadn’t believed Casterfo capable of swearing inside his very own head, never mind out loud. Maybe he was seeing things, too?

Joph’s eyes darted between the blaster on the table in front of him and the man in question. Casterfo hadn't made a move for it. Joph decided to leave the blaster where it was.

"You can't possibly be any more confused than _I _am!" exclaimed Threepio. A chorus of beeps and whistles emanated from his blue-and-silver companion.__

____

____

 

Joph ignored Artoo's commentary and took a deep breath before voicing the obvious question:

"What just happened?" 

"Exactly what Leia expected!" Casterfo straightened up and shook his head, resigned. "Half a calamity is better than a whole one, I suppose. Dameron means well, only he's more of a reckless fool than I ever was. Which is saying something!" He muttered the last under his breath.

"You just ordered him to leave! Along with our entire fleet--" Commander Greer Sonnel was incredulous. 

"With little more than a skeleton crew. Most of the Resistance is safe, at least for the time being.”

Sonnel and Seastriker exchanged glances. Both watched Casterfo drumming his fingers on the edge of the holotable as they waited for whatever was going to come out of his mouth next.

"Dameron needs to let off some steam. Leia is gone--" Casterfo paused “—and that will have affected him deeply. She had such high hopes for him." For whatever reason, he didn't finish that particular thought. “Dameron considers me a traitor and disagrees with his General's final orders. Vice-Admiral Wexley is of equal rank. Hopefully, he and Connix will be enough of a moderating influence to prevent him from doing anything stupid."

Artoo whistled his opinion and Threepio rapped him smartly on his hemispherical head. "Even more stupid? Hardly a helpful assessment, given the circumstances!" he chided.

"Wait." Captain Rose Tico was fairly sure her mouth had been hanging open for the last thirty seconds. "That was an act?"

"It became one the instant Poe Dameron compromised the safety of the entire Resistance by allowing that bounty hunter to set foot on Riosan soil!" Casterfo was visibly angry now, his mouth set in a grim line. 

Rose still didn't understand. Did anyone? Judging from their expressions, that answer was no. Still, they hadn't moved against Casterfo—nor had any additional Riosan personnel entered the room. This remained a private discussion between Casterfo and High Command.

"Which one was the bounty hunter? Gold helmet or blue hair?" Both had seemed formidable to Rose.

"Zorri Bliss wears the golden helmet. There’s no guarantee she wouldn't have advertised where the Resistance had gone to ground. That said, I've dealt with Bliss before. She does have certain principles, along with considerable skills. I wanted to avoid having to neutralize her-"

"Neutralize?" Rose interrupted. "As in--"

Greer shot her a look.

"Oh." Rose swallowed. "Right."

Casterfo chose to ignore that exchange. "Hopefully I've managed to turn Bliss's presence to our advantage. She will certainly let it be known that the Resistance has been driven from Riosa, and that Emperor Ren has sent several capital ships this way. Ren intends to announce his gift of those ships to Riosa. We lack proper planetary defences.” Casterfo then turned to Threepio. "I trust you have the means to contact Vi Moradi?"

The droid brightened at once. "Indeed I do, sir!"

"And BB-8 is prepared to deliver General Organa's personal message to Vice-Admiral Dameron as soon as possible?"

"Of course. Why, even now--" Casterfo held up a hand to discourage Threepio’s habitual elaboration.

“Excellent." 

Leia's former rival turned back to the others. "As most of you are aware, Vi Moradi is Leia's most trusted field agent. She no doubt arrived intending to report to Leia, some matters being too sensitive for anything other than face-to-face communication. Dameron intercepted her before Threepio could explain our severely altered circumstances. That was unforeseen. One can hardly fault Moradi for her actions. They resulted from incomplete information." 

All very well and fine, but Rose still didn't understand. Had Casterfo betrayed them or not? He was a master slicer. Had Moradi meant to report something she feared Casterfo would otherwise intercept? Surely Rose wasn’t alone in wondering. The silence in the conference room could have been cut by the proverbial vibroblade. She wasn’t the only one who felt it. Only when Casterfo spoke again did Rose see the deep worry lines carved into his face. She hadn’t noticed them before. 

"I expect you have many questions. Here are the answers I'm prepared to give you: Yes, I staged my capture by Resistance sympathizers on Batuu as a means of reaching Leia quickly. And yes, Ren was fully aware of it." He ticked off each point as he made it on those long, elegant fingers of his. "Ren believes my loyalty is to him. He knew of my personal connection to Leia and of my intention to save her from the fate that would have awaited the Resistance over Batuu.

That the Resistance then vanished from that system blew my credibility with Ren. Leia solved that problem." He took a moment to gauge everyone's reaction. "I can assure you that I am devoted to the destruction of the First Order and all it represents, and equally committed to building a lasting peace. 

In short: Am I with you? Yes. Am I one of you? Not quite.” A corner of his mouth tilted up in a wry smile. "Dameron will no doubt be immensely relieved that he’ll never be expected to take orders from me again! When he comes to his senses, that is. In the meantime, we track him through hyperspace with the technology I...ah...liberated from the First Order. Emperor Ren intends to flip the galactic political structure on its head. That may not be a bad idea, depending on how he means to do it. I've taken pains to position myself close to him. However, it is somewhat...difficult...to determine Ren's nature. And then there is the matter of Ben Solo..."

"Who’s Ben Solo?" Rose furrowed her brow. No one appeared to share that confusion, and all sorts of interesting looks flashed around the conference table. Meaningful looks. Greer Sonnel ended that little mystery:

"Ben Solo is the son of Han Solo and General Organa," explained the Commander. She watched Rose’s reaction carefully.

"Indeed," muttered Casterfo, who suddenly seemed fascinated by his own hands.

"But what has Ben Solo got to do with any of this?" Rose couldn’t imagine. Sonnel stared purposefully at Ransolm Casterfo, who continued staring at his hands. Getting no response, Greer raised a questioning eyebrow in Nien Nunb's direction. The Sullustan looked somber, and when he decided to offer an explanation Rose couldn't make out what he said in his heavily accented Basic. 

"Emperor Ren knows exactly what happened to Ben Solo!" repeated Threepio, delighted to remedy that.

Total silence.

"For kriff's sake, let's just say it out loud!" Greer Sonnel swore quietly under her breath. Greer had worked for Leia; she'd flown for Han. "Enough with the secrets! Somebody spit it out! It's not like most of us don't already know. Or at least suspect." 

The pause seemed to go on forever. Rose finally saw Joph Seastriker nod to his wife. "Go ahead, Greer. Seems to me that nothing good has ever come from keeping this kind of stuff under wraps."

Greer took a deep breath before looking directly at Rose again: "Ben Solo _is _Kylo Ren. See, Casterfo? The big reveal's not on you this time!"__

____

____

Casterfo sighed. Joph covered his face with his hands. Nien Nunb put his head down on his arms. Rose was stunned, but Greer was only getting warmed up:

"Let’s recap: Leia is dying. She wanted to see her son before she did. You took her to him, likely at her insistence. That saved your cover, Casterfo. How am I doing so far?"

"Perfectly."

"Ren--Ben--whatever he calls himself--thinks you've thrown your lot in with him."

"Correct."

"Which you have not."

"Precisely."

"Dameron refuses to have anything to do with you. We all know the truth of that. Leia expected as much and took certain precautions. You, or Leia, or both of you, ensured most of our resources were beyond his reach for a time. Unfortunately, the bounty hunter threw a wrench into things by getting to Dameron with the intel she had from Batuu, information Moradi corroborated. Dameron leaped to the obvious conclusions. Luckily for you, Chewbacca reached his own. That said, things got messier than you expected and you were forced to improvise."

"Exactly."

"And you aren't concerned about Ren's ships because—correct me if I’m wrong—when you say they’re meant for Riosa, you actually mean they’re going to be ours?

"Yes. Every last one of them, excluding the vessel that will return Ren's people to the bulk of his forces. Ren lacks the manpower to crew them. It suits him very well to have us do so, although he has no idea what that will actually mean.”

Greer swore again, which she did saltily enough to turn the tips of Joph's ears pink. 

"It _did _occur to you that you've put yourself into an impossible situation, Casterfo?"__

____

____

"Several times--"

"Not like that's a first," Greer smirked. She laced her fingers with Joph's under the table before she next spoke. "You know, I never did get around to actually liking you all those years ago, Casterfo. But I have to admit that you're growing on me."

To Rose's surprise, Casterfo actually smiled. “High praise, indeed!”

"So we're not in imminent danger of attack?" Joph joked.

"Not unless I fail miserably in my duties as a host." Casterfo stood up, adjusting his crimson cloak and straightening his tunic. "Which includes inviting Ren’s officers to the capital to wine them, dine them, and send them merrily on their way.”

Everyone started talking at once, and Casterfo had Nien Nunb chortling at the prospect of flying an Allegiant TIE Defender. However, Rose was reminded of the very large Bantha still in the room:

"Where's Finn?" Had everyone forgotten?

Casterfo turned a surprisingly sympathetic gaze to her. "I wish I could tell you," he said gently. "But the truth is, I have no idea. With any luck, your friend is starting a Stormtrooper revolution."

 

 

 

+

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> +
> 
>  
> 
> “Half a calamity is better than a whole one.”
> 
> ~T. E. Lawrence


End file.
